Close To You
by AuthorAllAlone098XD
Summary: A triangle between friends Annie, Reiner and Bertholdt. Bertholdt being inlove with Annie but is emotionally attached to Reiner makes a hard decision on which side to go. Annie, who bears his child, or Reiner, his childhood friend. A tragedy happens and he is forced to take responsibilities he never should have carried. A spin-off backstory of the original Attack on Titan storyline
1. Those Kids, That Day, We Knew, It Began

Close To You

Chapter 1: Those Kids, That Day, We knew, The Beginning

Reiner, Annie and Bertholdt were great friends since childhood. They used to steal bread and make fun of the baker in their town. They would snatch a big piece of bread and make the baker chase them; they will then climb a tree and watch as the baker struggles to reach them.

Bravest among them was Reiner, who is really reliable and strong, he would help either of his friends when in harsh times. Smartest among them was Annie, who always knew what to do. Happiest among them was Bertholdt, whose smiles make the 3 of them lively as usual. Together the 3 of them were happy friends.

Years later, the 3 of them were picked to be the first of the outsiders to test the Titan Program. During that time Annie was being tortured so her soft side would vanish into a large stone heart. Reiner rebelling for this therapy tried to break out of the program. One night while everyone seemed to rest on the cabin, Reiner woke Bertholdt up to commence his plans on escaping. "Hey, Bert, wake up!" Bertholdt would open an eye and look at Reiner for a short while and then would stand up. They carefully sneak out the cabin window since the doors were locked. Not far away was Annie's cabin where she was kept locked inside.

Reiner would carefully peek in while Bertholdt remain as lookout. Reiner, carefully slipping his hands and feet inside, finds Annie, shivering on a corner and appears to have a cold. "A-Annie!" Reiner whispered, feeling pity for his friend. Annie appears to have a fever, Reiner carefully carries her out. Just when they were about to run, a lookout spots them and signals the alarm. Anxious and panicking, the three run as fast as they can with Bertholdt carrying Annie. "Uhm…Bert…oldth…. I'm cold" Annie whispered as she shivered more. Bertholdth tucked her more so she would feel more comfortable. Soon, gunshots echo through the forest.

Nearing the river, Reiner jumps first. Bertholdt also jumped into the water, holding Annie tightly, but not before he gets shot on the abdomen.

Hours Later…..

The sun shines up on the 3 on the other side of the large river. Reiner who is first to come to consciousness, sees Annie and Bertholdt unconscious not far away. He checks if they're okay but finds out that Betholdt is losing much blood due to his gunshot wound. Reiner carries the two into the forest and finds an old hut inside. Like a brother, Reiner cleans the two using his own clothes, washed on the river. By the time he wipes near Bertholdt's wound, Bertholdt moans and seems to gain consciousness.

Annie then wakes up, wearing Reiner's old clothes and finds an sleeping Bertholdt on the other bed. Annie goes out to find Reiner making a bandage made of leaves. Reiner sees her and approaches her. "So Annie! How's your fever?" Reiner said with a simple smile but then…. *Slap* Annie hits Reiner with her palm hard on the face. "How could you have him save me while you run off first?!" Annie screamed. Reiner becomes speechless. "If you had just let me die in that program, this wouldn't have happened!" Annie continued. "I didn't lead us into this…" Reiner said as he passes Annie and heads inside the hut. "You made us do this just so that you could escape!" Annie continued, following Reiner inside. Reiner puts on the bandage but Annie slaps it out of his hands. "That won't do! The best way now is to get back there, ask for help and apologize to everyone!" Annie yelled.

"Guys? Why are you fighting?" Bertholdt said as he slowly opens his eyes seeing his 2 friends quarreling. "Annie, it's ok! I'm ok! I'll be ok" Bertholdt said with a smile. Annie worrying for him approaches him and tries to comfort him, much to Reiner's regret. Reiner goes outside and takes a stroll along the river and later, climbs a tree. From there, he spots someone familiar. He spots the lookout nearby, his mind races of knowing that they have been found. He quickly jumps off the tree and races to the hut.

He returns only to find Annie and Bertholdt held captive by the Program Leader, Shawn. Reiner picks up a stick and points it to them. "Ha! What will you do? Throw it to me?" Shawn taunted. Reiner, angered, charges at shawn using the stick and manages to knock out the remaining guards. At the same moment, "Reiner!" Annie yelled as Reiner realizes that the lookout has readied a gun pointed at him. The gun shots and hits Reiner on the shoulder. Annie, worried, struggles and break from the guard's grip and checks on the unconscious Reiner. The lookout, alarmed, shoots another round pointed on Annie head. Reiner, gaining consciousness covers Annie and gets shot on the back.

"Please! Stop! We'll agree with the program, Just stop it! Please!" Bertholdt plead to Shawn as Annie goes sobbing on Reiner's body. "Ok but in exchange, you'll undergo the Colossal Program" Shawn replied to Bertholdt. Annie was dragged away as she cries more being separated from Reiner who appears dead. Shawn and the disposal team carry Reiner's body but are astounded when they discover that Reiner's still alive. "Put him under Program X" Shawn said with a smirk.

2 years later, The Titan Program has been completed and Annie and Bertholdt are now eligible for their 1st mission dispatch; to weaken and cause chaos inside the wall. Annie and Bertholdt while on the mission and journey, many from the Titan Program, died protecting the convoy from roaming Titans. Annie, who is colder than ever, dismisses this.

Despite young, Annie poses great intelligence and so does Bertholdt. "It's still a long way" The commander spoke. The convoy decided to rest by a Forest of Giant Trees in which they spot a road inside. "Ah…It's nice to take rest, don't you agree?" Derick said as he sits beside Annie who is on top of a tree. Annie turns her back and jumps into another tree, much to Derick's embarrassment.

"Hiya! There we go!" Greg, exhausted of carrying the crates sits next to Bertholdt and drinks some beer. "You want some?" Greg offered. "Uh… No..No I don't drink" Bertholdt resisted waving his hands like an innocent child. "Ahh…. Isn't life just amazing?" Greg asked as he lays down the ground. "Yeah, it is!" Bertholdt reply as he gazes upon the night sky. Suddenly, "Bertholdt" A familiar voice makes Bertholdt look behind him.

There he catches a glimpse of Reiner smiling and calling him and Annie…...but then he only realizes that it was Greg calling him to return to the camp. "Uh? Oh yeah! Be right there!" Bertholdt replied.

The night goes darker and everyone seemed asleep. Bertholdt sits beside Annie who is still gazing upon the night sky on top of a tree. "Hey Annie! You're not asleep yet?" Bertholdt asked. Annie just turned her back and relaxes upon Bertholdt's chest. "I miss Reiner so much…..." Annie whispered which makes Bertholdt sad. "I also do Annie….I also do" Bertholdt said as he relaxes his back on the tree branch and both of them fall asleep.

The next day, Annie and Bertholdt wakes up on a strong thud on the tree. Annie can smell blood and finds that the camp has been intercepted by a group of Titans. Everyone is panicking as Titans try to eat almost everyone. Annie and Bertholdt carefully jump on each tree branch to get on a higher tree as more larger Titans appear. However another strong thud shakes their Branch causing Bertholdt to fall but Annie manages to grip on the Branch. "Bertholdt!" Annie shouted as she sees that Bertholdt landed on a tent and is able to move but barely. 2 titans notice him and run to his direction. Bertholdt's leg is hurt and he can barely move.

"Bertholdt Hurry!" Annie cried. Bertholdt couldn't do anything but to witness as the 2 titans grab him by his arms and try to pull him apart... However Greg who has been on a tree branch jumps and slices both Titans on their pubes. He then saves Bertholdt by gripping him with a weed. He then swings into Annie's branch and the 3 of them get to higher branches. Minutes later, the Titans leave, leaving a trail of blood and chaos full of dead bodies. Annie sees Derick beside a tree. At first Annie thought he was alive but was disgusted when she sees that it's only half of his body.

The night passes by again and Greg agrees to go as lookout for any titans. Bertholdt tie themselves on tree branches to ensure that they don't fall off. He first makes sure that Annie sleeps well before he relaxes on a tree branch. "You sure to take care of her" Greg said. Bertholdt only replies with a smile before he goes into another branch beside Annie. :Don't worry lads, by sunrise, we'll be out of here." Greg positively said.

By sunrise, Greg wakes the 2 and they set off to the edge of the forest where they could easily escape. "We could quickly use this route to find the wall" Annie suggested. "But we have to get back our horses at camp" Bertholdt replied. "Titans are still roaming there, what should we do?" Betholdt added. "We simply need a bait to lure out the Titans" Greg suggested. Annie and Bertholdt become shocked.

"But Greg, you possible can't –

"He's right, Bertholdt. Besides who could do it rather than him" Annie cut in.

"Don't worry lads, I'm more experienced at killing this bitches, Just remember to run for the horses" Greg said with a smile. "But…." Bertholdt couldn't do anything but go with the plan. "Remember, Your survival is what matters, Don't worry about me, I've been trained to face death, The mission wouldn't be without the 2 of you" Greg said as they jump their way to the camp. Greg positions himself above 7-meter class while Annie and Bertholdt hide behind a tree near the horses.

"1…2…." Greg draws his blades and readies to jump on the Titan while Annie and Bertholdt ready to run for it. "3!" Greg jumps on the back of the titan and quickly cuts it neck pube. Greg shouts a taunt attracting nearby 5-meter Titans then Annie and Bertholdt make a run for it, they quickly jump astraddle the horses and run to the opposite direction. Meanwhile, Greg successfully climbs on a tree and lures the Titans away. "Annie! We have to go back for him!" Bertholdt yelled. Annie doesn't respond and keeps on going.

Bertholdt, sobbing, forcefully goes back and yells for Greg, attracting a 5-meter Titan to his direction. Greg, distressed of what Bertholdt did, is forced to swing using a weed to his direction. Bertholdt, afraid, becomes frozen like a stone and stops moving. The 5-meter titan runs to his direction. Just in time, Greg lands on the back of the 5-meter Titan and kills it using his dagger. Greg rides with Bertholdt and immediately follows Annie. Together, they reach the exit of the forest, but just as they thought they were safe…

A10-meter Titan comes from nowhere and surprises the horses. Annie manages to turn and save her horse but Bertholdt and Greg fall off. Greg watches as the 10-meter Titan approaches an unconscious Bertholdt and holds him up. However, Greg manages to stand up and jump, cutting of its fingers and releasing Bertholdt. Upon falling to the ground, Bertholdt gains consciousness and sees Greg smiling before him saying that "He is now Safe". Suddenly, *wack* The 10-meter Titan grabs Greg off the ground sweeping Bertholdt away. Immobilized and Tired, Greg gives in and doesn't resist as the Titan opens its mouth to welcome its food.

Bertholdt, barely able to move is grabbed by Annie and they ride away. "No! Annie! We have to save him!" Bertholdt cried as he looks back on Greg smiling before the Titan bites him in half and swallows him. "There was no way you could've save him, but then it was the only way to save you" Annie said as they ride off.

In the middle of the sunny day, another 10-meter titan emerges. This time it knocks both Annie and Bertholdt. Annie draws her knife but Bertholdt grabs it. "Annie, I want you to run as fast as you can" Bertholdt said as he guards Annie before the hungry titan.

"No Bertholdt, I can't let you-

"Annie, There's no way you can save me but, it's the only way I can save you." Annie hugs Bertholdt and cries as the large Titan approaches them. "Annie! Run!" Bertholdt pushes Annie away and charges to the Titan. Annie, crying, runs away fast as she weeps her tears. However she crosses path with a group of men uniformed in green cloak and had somewhat of a machine on their belts. "Please, save him!" Annie begged and the men quickly move. Annie then passes out and is taken into a convoy.

Meanwhile, Bertholdt holds off as he manages to dodge every move the Titan makes. However, just as he jumps, another Titan approaches, causing him to get hit and fall on the ground wounded. Bertholdt looks into the sunny sky as he sees 2 faces of Titans, smiling before him. However as his sight blurs, he sees men engaging the titans and successfully kills them before he loses consciousness.

Annie wakes up in the middle of what seems to be a camp in the forest. It was still noon as the sun glowed orange into the sky. Many men, uniformed are drinking and celebrating. However, one man leads Annie into a secluded area. "Uhm….what are we doing here?" Annie asked as the man undresses himself and tries to restrain Annie.

Meanwhile, Bertholdt wakes up inside a tent and feels like Annie is missing. He goes out and sees many men celebrating. "Uhm….mister did you see a girl, about this tall and has a blonde hair around here?" Bertholdt asked to the first person he came across. "Yeah! she went that way *points to the forest route*" The man replied. "Thanks mister? Uhm. Sorry but what is your name?" Bertholdt asked. "My names Erwin Smith, be careful out there" The man replied and pats Bertholdt on the shoulder.

Bertholdt takes a stroll along the route and finds himself new discoveries that they haven't seen before. He comes across a man and sees Annie struggling to kick the man away. The man hits Annie which makes Bertholdt angry. Bertholdt charges from a direction and head butts the man away. Bertholdt help Annie stand up but the man pulls him away causing Annie to fall and can barely move. "Since you're sister there is a bit aggressive how about I give you a try?" The man said with a sinister smile.

Annie, paralyzed, watches as the man undresses Bertholdt and rapes him. Annie looking at her finger slashes it against a sharp stone which causes a thunder to strike down.

Meanwhile, the men on the camp notice the blast and Erwin leads a team to check it out.

Seconds later, a large 15-meter female Titan emerges from the shadow. It looks at the injured naked maniac as it cries for help. The titan lifts its leg and crushes the man in front of Bertholdt. The titan approaches the scared Bertholdt and holds him his clothes. Bertholdt understands this and puts on his clothes. Suddenly, the team led by Erwin appears and readies to assault the female Titan. The titan seemingly smart covers her neck and swallows Bertholdt and runs away. Erwin and the others try to chase it but they all end up dead. Erwin assaults the titan's hands but it hardens causing Erwin's maneuver gear to malfunction and he falls off the ground. The titan opens its mouth, revealing a still alive Bertholdt coughing.

They eventually get out of the forest and the female Titan puts Bertholdt on its shoulder as it runs away fast. "Annie?" This word makes the Titan stop and it suddenly smiles at Bertholdt. Together they run away to nowhere, hoping it would take them to where they originally planned to go ; The Wall.

Hours later after running, Annie and Bertholdt stumble upon a sight where they can see their main target, The Wall. Annie puts Bertholdt down and slices her way out of the Titan's body, causing it to rapidly evaporate. "You'll have to transform too, Bertholdt" Annie said. "But will be killing people?" Bertholdt said in contrast.

"People who don't act like humans. Imagine people inside those walls, raping young children, like what that guy did to you" Annie added. Annie's words makes Bertholdt furious and he reluctantly agrees to her plan. "When you see me transform, that's the signal for you to commence the plan" Annie said.

Bertholdt walks exactly in front of the wall and looks back as he sees Annie, transform on a nearby hill. Bertholdt looks at his arms and furiously bites it, causing a ripple of thunder to go down on him and a large 60-meter Titan emerges. Bertholdt peeks from the wall as he sees people inside terrified. He slowly lifts his legs and kicks the wall powerfully. The blast blows off almost all of the townspeople and rocks flying from the sky land on random parts of the walled city.

As the dust disappears, Bertholdt would see women crying before their dead children and relatives. He also sees a boy and a girl running towards the front only to discover that their house has been hit by a rock fragment. This turns on Bertholdt's conscience, in which he suddenly rips off from the neck of the Titans body and is catched by Annie.

Annie runs faraway and screams as loud as she can which attracts Titans to come in the wall. Soon screams of agony and pain can be heard inside as the Titans feast on their newfound food source. Bertholdt and Annie, postioned on top of the stone wall gazes upon people getting eaten one by one by the Titans. Bertholdt spots a glimpse of the young boy and girl being carried away by a uniformed man as they watch their mother get eaten by a Titan.

However a large thud causes Annie and Bertholdt to fall again but this time, another ripple of thunder appears and an odd-looking Titan catches them both. A large titan with its body covered in hard armor appears before them and puts them on a safe place. The titan excretes some of its armor and run very quick. Annie and Bertholdt watch as the Titan charges head to head against cannon balls which appear to have no effect on it. The titan breaks the secondary wall and blasts off some uniformed men into the air. It then opens its mouth and breathes fire, much to Annie and Bertholdt's surprise. The titan goes back for Annie and Bertholdt and takes them outside.

"I'm sorry" It's all Bertholdt could say as he gazes upon the broken wall and Titans entering it one by one.

Hours later….

The titan stops running and puts Annie and Bertholdt down. Then somebody rips off from the Titan's neck and and falls into the ground. The titan rapidly evaporates and as the smoke disappears, the face of the man is uncovered. Annie and Bertholdt become astounded and Annie comes running with tears as she hugs the man who appears to be Reiner, still alive.

Bertholdt approaches the 2 and gives a big hug in which he also cries as Reiner says "Don't worry, I'll protect you both".

"_**Enjoyed Reading? Watch out for Chapter 2: Restoration of Mankind Pt.1 Credits goes to Attack on Titan and all who are involved"**_


	2. Recovery

Chapter 2: Recovery

Sudden thunder and darkness engulf the whole area and Titans emerge from either side of the hill. Bertholdt finds himself hugging 2 large tombstones. Each tombstone has names scripted on it "Reiner Braun" and "Annie Leonhardt". Bertholdt backs off and bumps on the back of large titan.

He turns around only to see a 60-meter titan looking at him with fiery eyes. The titan lifts its hands to the sky, much to Bertholdt's horror. The Titan then slams its hands into the hill blasting Bertholdt out. Bertholdt stands only to find Annie dead with a gunshot to the chest beside him. He backs off and bumps on Reiner dead with a bleeding head and gunshot to the shoulder.

He runs in horror and stumbles upon a small child crying in the middle of the forest. Bertholdt feels sympathy and approaches the boy. He finds the boy resembling Annie and hugs him tightly. The titan emerges from the trees and tries to slam its hands into Bertholdt again. Bertholdt holds the boy tightly as everything goes black.

"Zzzzz….Zzzzzz" The loud snore wakes Bertholdt up and he finds himself inside his house again. He tries to pinch his cheeks, "Ouch!" but it wasn't a dream, he was really in his house. Suddenly, Shawn appears with a smile. "Oh you're already awake?" Shawn said as he walks pass Bertholdt and gets something from the kitchen. "When did we got home?" Bertholdt said as he strokes his dizzy head.

"Here, Change into these…" Shawn said as he gives Bertholdt a piece of gray T-shirt, a brown blazer and some pants. "We'll be meeting with Annie in the middle of town in just about 10 minutes." Shawn grabs his coat and takes Bertholdt with him on the horse cart. While on the ride, Bertholdt seemed anxious, "Uhm….Shawn I want to ask you something….." Shawn quickly turns to Bertholdt on the back and smiles at him. "Did…did Reiner take us back home?" Bertholdt said as he looked down on his feet.

Shawn turns back and doesn't make sound. Bertholdt at the back still looks on the ground and reminisces some of the memories he had that day.

"Don't worry, I'll protect you both" These words make Bertholdt think…think more…think deeper…..Think! "Hey Bertholdt! Snap out of it!" Shawn shakes Bertholdt back and forth that he gets dizzy. Shawn and Bertholdt walk out of the cart into a torch at the middle of town. Annie is there waiting guarded by the lookout. "Stay here" Shawn pushed Bertholdt beside Annie as he marches beside the torch along with his guards.

"Annie, Bertholdt and the rest who are here, Due to the 1st mission's failure and success, one of the 3 designated Titan Shifter was killed but…..*walks back and forth* 2 of those 3 were able to break down an outer wall. Because of that we will proceed with the 2nd mission but…..We'll be having a new recruit *points to a dark corner*" Everyone faces to the corner hoping to find something. They face at it hardly and wait for someone to appear. In unexpected circumstances someone pats Annie's shoulder. "Hey, Annie!" Annie quickly turns back only to find Reiner standing before her.

Annie couldn't believe her eyes, standing before her was her deceased brother-like friend. "I present to you, Reiner Braun from Program X" Shawn said.

Bertholdt and Annie were astounded and hugged Reiner tightly. "I knew you would come back!" Annie cried. "Wait! Guys! What's happening?!" Reiner said with a giggle as he pushes Annie and Bertholdt away. "We just met as teammates and you already miss me?" Reiner said which makes Annie and Bertholdt confused.

Suddenly, Shawn pulls Annie and Bertholdt to a side and orders the lookout to take Reiner to his cabin. "This Reiner that you saw juts now is not the Reiner from that day, Program X suppressed his memories, He just knows about you but nothing from the past, If you don't want to lose him again, I suggest you keep quiet!" Shawn intimidates both of Annie and Bertholdt and then leaves. The lookout leads them into their designated cabin and they discover that they'll be sharing cabins with Reiner.

"You'll be training for 4 years with Reiner here, on the last year you'll be sent to Wall Rose and to the Military Training Camp to complete your training and then you'll start the mission" The lookout said before he slams the door off. Annie and Bertholdt turn around at Reiner who is relaxing at his bed. "Hey! Did I do something wrong?" Reiner giggled as he sees the 2 look at him weirdly.

The training starts after 3 months and the three are pitted against the power of nature, machine and each other. First training was Forest Maneuver where they are dropped off at random location of a large forest roaming with 6-meter titans. They have to locate any finish line around the forest. There 4 finish lines randomly located around the forest.

First to encounter a Titan was Annie who chances upon a 7-meter titan who caught her scent. The titan quickly lunges at her but Annie outruns it by swinging using the weeds.

Next was Bertholdt who chances upon 2 5-meter Titans who are roaming when they chanced to corner Bertholdt around a tree. Bertholdt manages to climb a tree but is too paralyzed to jump around as he is afraid that he might slip and fall.

Last was Reiner who manages to outrun each Titan he encounters. On the contrary he uses land maneuver instead of tree maneuver and using the leafy bushes, he can quickly hide whenever a Titan roams nearby, and he uses mud to protect his scent.

Annie on the other side finds a finish line and there she finds a green smoke round. She shoots it up.

Reiner and Bertholdt see this. This signifies that one of them have reached a finish line. While looking for possible hiding bushes, Reiner chances upon 2 5-meter Titans who are trying to climb up to what seems to be Bertholdt on top of a tree. Reiner picks up a sharp rock and ties 2 strands of weed on it. He then swings it into a distant branch.

"Hey, Buttheads! Over here!" Reiner shouted making the 2 titans to run into his direction. He runs as fast as he can and barely dodges the 2 titans trying to grab him by the rear. He jumps and grabs the other end of the weed causing him to swing into a higher branch. He sees Bertholdt on the other side.

"Hey, Bert! Grab this" He throws the end of the weed with the sharp rock into Bertholdt's branch. Bertholdt reluctantly grabs it and jumps off the tree. The titans see this and they try to jump up to catch him. Reiner notices this and jumps on the other side of the tree, causing Berthold to swing drastically high.

Reiner falls into the ground and gets covered in mud. Bertholdt, now on top of the tree branch watches as Reiner crawls out of the mud coughing. Reiner hides behind a bush and tries to stay still until the Titans leave. Hours later, Bertholdt couldn't see any movement on the bush and gets worried. "Reiner….." Bertholdt whispered as he tries to get down from branch to branch.

He silently lands on the ground and approaches the bush. He peeks into the bush but finds no one there. "Reiner" He whispered as he searches around when suddenly, he encounters a 10-meter titan looking before him with Hungry eyes. Bertholdt shakes with terror and backs off until he is cornered within a tree.

Meanwhile…..

Reiner, wandering around the forest, full of mud finds a finish and line and finds a black smoke round. He shoots it up and the guards around take him outside of the forest. Once taken to the cabin, he finds Annie reading a book on her bed. "Hey, Annie! Have you seen Bertholdt anywhere?" Reiner asked.

"Who knows, He might have been eaten….." Annie said as he glared at Reiner with an emotionless face. Reiner sighs and takes his things with him and goes out. "If you're thinking of saving him again….Go then" Annie yelled as Reiner continues going out.

Meanwhile…..Inside the forest.

Bertholdt, tired of running away hides himself on a bush hoping that the Titan will pass him by. Bertholdt was having daytime nightmares; soon he begins to panic and breathes heavily. His cold breath echoing through the wind. Rustles and scratches worry him more.

The sound goes nearer and nearer, Bertholdt, finding his memories with his friends being an inspiration, holds tighter to his sharp stone. Suddenly… *WHACK!* Bertholdt swings his stone only to end up wounding Reiner on the arm. Bertholdt, surprised to see his companion helps Reiner up from the mud. "*Gasp* Sorry!" Bertholdt said but it wasn't the end, a large arm slams between them, blasting them both out of the bush. Reiner rolls down and hits a tree instantly whacking himself from reality. Another 10-meter titan has revealed itself. The titan approaches Reiner only to get amputated by Bertholdt. While the Titan recovers, Bertholdt tries to support Reiner up as they walk far away. Unfortunately, the titan chases them off and as it gets on a reaching distance, it wipes Bertholdt off, blasting them both away.

Recovering his consciousness, Reiner wakes only to find a piece of Bertholdt's clothes on his arm and blood all over the place. He stands up only to find Bertholdt over the dead and evaporating titan. Bertholdt loses consciousness and Reiner carries him to a finish line. Reiner shoots a red smoke flare which Shawn sees from his window. "*Sigh* Finally!" Shawn smiled as he readied his convoy and they head to the forest. There they find Bertholdt resting upon Reiner's lap as Reiner rests beside a tree. They are both bloody and bruised to the point that Shawn almost mistaken them for dead.

"Program X….Program X…..We'll put him under Program X…..He's still alive? How could this be?... Vital signs going low…Checking heart beat…Reviving…..Reviving…A cut across the arm….A cut across the arm… A cut across the arm….A CUT ACROSS THE ARM! *GASP*" Reiner wakes up in his bed inside the cabin, full of bandages and feeling pain. Annie was there, reading a book beside Bertholdt who is sleeping. Reiner stands up and and washes his hands, picks up a bowl and cooks soup.

"Hey! Reiner, you're…..still weak…right?" Annie said. "How….How could you have me save him while you run off first?!" Reiner said in anger. This made Annie shocked. "Annie…Annie tell me?!" Reiner shouted. "I'm…Reiner…..I didn't mean to…I'm….I'm…..I'm Sorry!" Annie cried out as she remembers some of her memories from the day Reiner was shot because of her. Suddenly Annie comes to a realization "Reiner….you remembered?" Annie asked.

"What do you mean? Remembered? I was just irritated by you relaxing here at home, while I dumped myself in mud just to save him! And why are you crying on the floor?" Reiner said confused. "Uhm..What? Aheehe! That was my over act tho-"Annie said in embarrassment. "Have you been this weird since we met?" Reiner asked while stirring the soup. "I…I….don't….really….." Annie said in shock. "YES! But she'll be okay…" Bertholdt slipped in. The 3 of them reconcile that night, just like the old times. Annie and Reiner took turns on taking care of Bertholdt. However, Shawn looks closely at the window and bites his lips as he orders his security to surround the cottage.

That Night…

"No! Don't! I'll go with you…..Please don't…. *Runs Away*" Annie in a fit of a shock runs away. "Shoot Her!" Shawn shouted. *Bang* A loud gunshot echoed through the forest. Surprisingly, someone lunges at Annie to take her down. Annie kicks the person away only to find out that it was Reiner, with a gunshot to the shoulder. "No…No Reiner, not you too." Annie sobbed as she faces only to see Bertholdt held at gunpoint by Shawn.

Suddenly, *BANG* Bertholdt falls to the ground but he was still alive and unscathed. He stands up only to find Shawn falling to the ground dead. Reiner reveals to be the shooter. "You're ruler days are over now Shawn!" Reiner said. However they were surrounded. "Uhm, Hey! Guys, after this do we really have somewhere to go to?" Reiner asked.

Suddenly, Bertholdt gets an idea. "How about the walls, we could hide there!" Bertholdt said with a smile. "Buckle Up!" Reiner said as he takes the 2 and they run towards Shawn's caravan and steals and wagon. "Hey! How come?!" Annie asked. "I guess, I've had enough of his teaching!" Reiner said with a smile. The 3 of them smile as they finally get out of the village, in the middle of their journey, a rustle under the wagon stops them.

Annie kicks out what seems to be a boy. "Hey! What's Berick doing here?!" Reiner said as he scratched the back of his head. "Uhm….Huh…..Wha- What?!" The boy gasped in shock as before him stands 3 persons of his age. "Is it morning already? *Yawns*" Berick said scratching his eyes.

"Is he any threat?" Annie asked. "He's one of my friends back at camp, just never thought, he'd be sleeping in the wagon." Reiner said jokingly. Bertholdt helps Berick up only to find that he has a scratch at his cheek. "Hey! You're bleeding!" Bertholdt gasped.

"Oh that?! That's just my practice" Berick said with a smile. Annie looked at him in a perplexed way but then they had to go on to find a camp as the night goes darker.

Exhausted and sleepy, Reiner sets a camp under a huge tree. They gather wood and leaves to make fire and use their remaining rations to eat. "About that scar…What's your practice?" Bertholt said while giving Berick some of his food. "This? This is the scar Shawn instructed me to make if I want to save myself." Berick said. Annie and Reiner become alarmed and Annie, in a fit of distress holds Berick at knife point. Bertholt tries to calm down Annie.

Berick pushes Annie and Bertholdt away and wounds his cheek more. A surge of lightning falls down and from the ashes arise a mighty 15 meter Titan. It has large claws and long feet. With Annie and Bertholt unconscious, the Titan assaults Reiner, headbutting a tree and stunning itself. Reiner regains his stance but the Titan is already near him. Annie, regaining her consciousness covers Reiner only to get swiped sideways against a tree.

Reiner sees this and gets enraged. He assaults the titan only to get punched away. He lands on a tree, impaling his arm on a twig. Reiner can barely move as he sees Annie about to be eaten by Berick. "A cut across the arm…A cut across the arm…..A CUT ACROSS THE ARM!" Reiner's eyes widen. Reiner tries to pulls his arm from the twig but it is too painful. However he sees Annie about to be swallowed. Reiner becomes more enraged and he successfully makes a cut across his arm.

Another surge of lightning occurs. A lot of trees fall by. Annie becomes devoured by Berick. Suddenly, a peculiar looking titan emerges from the ashes; it punches Berick on the face only to spit out Annie. Berick tries to assault the titan but he only gets rammed to the ground. Berick's head gets smashed and pounded. Bertholdt helps Annie up only to see the peculiar titan biting a chunk of flesh on its fallen enemy and then it swallows the chunk of flesh.

Bertholdt's eyes widen when he realized that the Titan from the wall was no other than the titan standing before him. The same thing happens as Reiner slashes his way out of the Titan but this time he was holding an unconscious Berick. Bertholdt hold Annie up together with Berick and orders Bertholdt to follow him inside the forest.

Inside, Reiner straps Annie and Berick on a high branch and keeps himself intact below them. Bertholdt positioned beside Annie swings down to lay beside Reiner. "Uhm….This Berick guy….Who is he?" Bertholdt asked. Reiner only shift sideways away from Bertholdt. Bertholdt, disappointed shift sideways too but…..

"He was one of the test experiments I met while I was in Program X" Reiner murmured which made Bertholdt interested.

*Flashback*

Reiner wakes up in the middle of a debacle where people are freaking around and keeps saying numbers. "Number 5 down….Number 10 down….Number 2 down…Number 8 down" He looks beside him only to find a flatline person suddenly, Reiner feels an instant urge in his chest like his heart is about to burst out of it. People gather around him and one puts an oxygen mask on him, the other one injecting something on him and one is slicing a wound on his arm. Then everything goes to black.

A stinging pain briefly awakens Reiner who is very weak. He opens his eyes and finds himself wounded in a bed.. "Ugh!" Reiner moans as the stinging pain continues. He can feel a damp object wiping around his body. "Don't move yet, You're bleeding" A voice said. Reiner opens his eyes to see a boy wiping a moist cloth around his face. "That was really fantastic, What you did back there was really awesome?" The boy continued.

"I'm gonna leave you for today but then, I'll be here again tomorrow" The boy smiled.

The next day, Reiner has regained his strength and decides to have a walk outside the cottage. He walks out only to find the boy who was taking care of him being whipped to the ground. "Shawn has ordered you to go back to your cottage!" The guard said. "But….but…..I have to!" The boy can barely speak. "No buts…..No whys….No nows! Get it!" The guarded shouted.

Suddenly….The guard was held at gunpoint by Reiner. "Ok…OK….But just for a few hours, I'll get killed because of the 2 of you" The guard surrendered. Reiner takes the boy in. "By the way…..What's your name?" Reiner asked. "Berick, you can call me Berck" The boy quickly replies. Moments later, the 2 were talking like nothing happened. The scene fades out into black.

*End of Flashback*

"That's how I met him, I knew he was like me but then, I never expected this to happen" Reiner ended his talk only to realize that Bertholdt is already half asleep which takes Reiner into an awkward notices that Bertholdt is near the edge of the tree branch so he tucks him a little closer to avoid him falling down.

In the middle of the night, Reiner awakens only to hear rustles on the branch above them. Suddenly, Berick falls with one of his feet tied and swings upside down. Reiner pulls Berick up and says "What the hell are you thinking right now?" Reiner said. "Uhm, I'm Hungry?" Berick quickly replied.

Reiner carefully slips from the branch to avoid waking Bertholdt up. As Bertholdt is to about untie Berick "Uhm…What about me?" Reiner looks up and finds Annie tangled in vines. However, Berick accidentally slips out of his vine causing Reiner to fall and as Reiner were holding the other vines, he causes Annie and Bertholdt to fall off the tree too. Reiner lands on the ground butt-first. Just as he thought that it was all ok, Bertholdt falls on his chest, next was Berick who fell on Bertholdt's back. Lastly Annie was able to slowly climb down using a vine. The 3 boys look at her awkwardly.

The 4 of them walk around the forest. Annie and Bertholdt were able to find fresh fruits while Berick and Reiner go find some wood and dried leaves for fire. However Reiner chances upon a crystal clear river. Reiner thinks it's a nice time to go fishing. Luckily, a school of different fishes are nearby and Reiner was able to catch a bucket of them. After that, Reiner makes an awkward look when he sees Annie, Berick and Bertholdt sleeping on the green grass.

Moments Later…..

*SPLASH!* The sound of water splashing wakes Annie up only to get splashed by water on the face. Reiner laughs only to get hit by mud on the face. Annie giggles only to get pulled into the water by Reiner. Bertholdt and Berick are awakened only to get hit by mud on the face.

The 4 of them have fun on the river. Unfortunately, Reiner was pushed by Bertholdt so hard that he slipped. Reiner falls down the water and hits himself on a rock, causing a flash of blue images to occur. Reiner's bleeding wound covers the water in red alarming the others. Berick and Bertholdt quickly get him out of water and put him on the ground. *BANG* A gun shot was heard. A cry of a girl is echoing. *SLAP* A girl slaps her friend. *SLAP* A rolling bandage can be seen rolling. "Ha! What will you do? Throw it to me?" A daring speech. *BANG* another gunshot was heard, "Put him under Program X…He's still alive….Program X…..Fascinating….He's still alive…Reiner ….. Reiner ….Reiner!" After the scream everything goes to black.


	3. Path to Recovery

Chapter 3: Path of Recovery

*BANG* A gun shot was heard. A cry of a girl is echoing. *SLAP* A girl slaps her friend. *SLAP* A rolling bandage can be seen rolling. "Ha! What will you do? Throw it to me?" A daring speech. *BANG* another gunshot was heard, "Put him under Program X…He's still alive….Program X…..Fascinating….He's still alive…Reiner ….. Reiner ….Reiner!" Reiner is awoken by a blood-curdling scream.

He awakens in the middle of nowhere. It seems to be pitch black now…no signs of light anywhere. As he was wandering overt the dark area, he tries to analyze the texture of the ground, he pulls up a heavy root-like thing so he makes an assurance that he is in the middle of a forest. There's no sound but silence in the air. *Sighs* Reiner is comforted with the assurance that no nearby titans are around.

Suddenly, something smelled putrid lingering around. Reiner can't help but to cover his nose. Sudden growls and rustles are heard which makes Reiner nervous. He sees a flickering light not far away. Reiner ran and ran as fast as he can. He barely held his breath. The putrid smell keeps on getting worse as he nears the flickering light. His feet going faster as he gets nearer the flickering light. Suddenly, *SPLASH!* Reiner steps on damp ground, it really smelled like rotten flesh. Reiner touches the damp ground and as he looks on his palm, he is surprised by blood.

He falls on the ground and gets soaked on a puddle of blood, lots and lots of blood. Reiner gets hysterical. As he was crawling away from the flickering lamp, he stumbles upon something hard. As he looks behind him, he finds…..a mountain of bodies. Blood gushing out from every corpse laid above each other. Reiner backs away from the bodies but….he accidentally causes one corpse to fall.

As the flickering light shines more, Reiner realizes that it is Annie. Reiner tries to revive her but she doesn't respond but her breathing relieves Reiner. Another body falls and this time it's a conscious and heavily wounded Bertholdt moaning in pain. Reiner tries to assist him but he moans more when touched, so Reiner decides to use his Clothes to cover Bertholdt and carry him beside Annie. Hours pass by but not a thing has changed, even the sun hasn't risen yet. After a few hours, movement is head on top of the corpse mountain. Reiner tried to check it out but this time, a body fell to the ground with such loud crack that it surprised him.

Reiner checked the body out, as he was about to roll the body over, a large thud was felt behind him. He quickly turned around only to go face to face a terrifying creature. A large titan with a big head has appeared, its jaw widely opened, its breath creating a putrid stench, its saliva dripping from its wide mouth. Out of fear, Reiner backs off and trips on the body that fell a while ago. As he was looking, he felt something familiar with the corpse… "No…No! Marcel! Marcel!" A loud scream echoes through a confused Reiner.

The titan advances on Reiner. He tries to run away but he realizes that his hands and feet are immobilized by the corpses that have started to move. Annie and Bertholdt stand before him as they are snapped away by the advancing titan, tearing them apart and washing blood all over Reiner's face. "….uh….Aaahahhhhh!" Reiner screamed as he covers himself when the titan lunges at him. Everything turns to black.

"He's recovering…What should we do? …It's successful….Now see my Masterpiece… You are to kill him…..You are to annihilate them….Fail to comply means immediate death…..You are ensure Program X's survival…..Program X's Survival…..If they are to know early…..It's up to you to kill them….Kill them…..Kill them…..KILL THEM!" *SPLASH!* Reiner spits out water and gasp deeply for air, Annie, Bertholdt and Berick staring worriedly at him. However his sight steadily blurs out. "Oh No! We're losing him again! No! Reiner, hold on!" Bertholdt shouted however Reiner can barely hear him. He can feel Annie wrapping her fingers around his chest. Surprisingly, Reiner felt a soft kiss and wind travelling through his body. Once again, he spits out water and gasp for more air.

Everybody breathes deep as Reiner regains his consciousness. "*Phew!* Close Call!" Berick exclaimed. "I think we should get back home?" Annie said. The 4 of them walk back to camp with Berick assisting Reiner as he can barely walk. They start a fire and they cook the fish. As the 4 of them were talking, "I Think You should really Head back home this time. To our town" Berick cut in. "What are you talking about?" Bertholdt said. An awkward silence lingered in the air between Berick and Bertholdt whose having suspicions on one another. However Reiner appears with his head now bandaged causing the tension between the 2 lads to cooldown. "Anyone care for a bite?" Reiner said as he held their cooked fishes on sticks.

As soon as everyone is done eating and getting ready to sleep, Berick requests for Reiner's attention. "Uhm…..Reiner…..You should really head back home now" Berick said. Bertholdt accidentally overhears this conversation. Due to anger, Bertholdt barges between Reiner and Berick. "I told you we don't need to go back there!" Bertholdt ecxclaimed which surprised Reiner and Berick. "What the hell?" Berick exclaimed which angered Bertholdt more. Bertholdt held Berick on his clothes. However, Berick did not wanted to be embarrassed, they exchanged punches as Berick overpowers Bertholdt on the ground. Reiner and Annie stop the 2 from getting into more fights. Berick, due to embarrassment decides to be alone on the other tree while Annie tends to Bertholdt's wounds.

However, Reiner tries to get in touch with Berick to cool him down. As Reiner is about to talk to him…..*BADUMP!* A loud stomp can be heard. "You see that…That Titan peeking at us" Berick points to a Titan who seemingly has a sad face and is hiding in a large tree looking at creepily. "That titan…is my…..my…..my….that titan is…my sister….." Berick said in grief. Reiner is shocked and tries to think of it as a joke but Berick gets hysterical. As more titans approach and look at them from a distance, Annie and Bertholdt group up with Reiner and Berick. However Berick starts to call them all as part of his family. "That's my….Mother…my Father…my Brother…..my Uncle" Which creeps the hell out of Annie and Reiner.

"M…M…..Ma..Mar…..MARCEL!" Reiner shouted which surprises Berick. "Marcel…Marcel…MARCEL!" Reiner kept sobbing which made Berick anxious, Annie and Bertholdt confused. "Stop…..Stop…..Stop calling me that!" Berick exclaimed as he covers his ears and kneels down crying. Annie and Bertholdt notice that the Titans are disappearing one by one. Reiner holds Berick's head back up and smiles at him which stops Berick from crying. However Bertholdt notices something…

"You…You…You're that Titan…..from…..That day….You're the titan…that killed….GREG!" Bertholdt shouted as he furiously punches Berick on the face. However it's too late when he realizes that Reiner was covering Berick. Reiner catches Berick before they hit the ground causing Reiner's leg to get hurt badly. Bertholdt and Annie swing down and attempt to comfort Reiner of the pain however….. "His Leg is poisoned….." Berick said as he removes a peculiar looking thorn on Reiner's leg. Reiner screams from the pain.

"It'll be easy if we are to get him back home!" Berick said in a sad tone. "This poison could annihilate his heart in less than 4 hours" Berick added. Annie cried out while Bertholdt grip Reiner's arm. "*SOBS!* Ok….we'll go home….Reiner, you just hold on" Bertholdt bravely announced as he and Berick support Reiner out of the woods.

"This will take long, we have to get home fast….." Berick drops Reiner on Bertholdt and quickly slashes his cheek. A strong ripple of thunder undulates from the skies and spawning a large 10-meter class titan emerges from the ground. Bertholdt is reluctant in riding in the titan but Reiner's continued moaning in pain makes him agree.

Minutes later…

Bertholdt, Reiner, Annie and Titan-Berick reach their designated location, Hometown. Bertholdt quickly carries Reiner to the town's clinic in which the nurse quickly attends to him. People around town look at Annie and Bertholdt in an odd way. However…one was warm enough to welcome them. "Alas! We meet again! Stubborn Youngsters!" Baker Clark exclaimed in joy. "You've grown up into fine youngsters now eh? I remember when you small delinquents were stealing my bread and made my back ache trying to reach on the tree eh!" Baker Clark added.

"I missed you too…Dad!" Bertholdt cried as he hugged his father as Baker Clark holds him closely in joy.

That night…

After dinner, Annie requested to go to the clinic. As she arrived there, Reiner is still unconscious. "You're friend here has been pricked by a DeathRose weed, It's a beautiful but very poisonous flower that moves like vines and resembles a Rose which causes unwary people to get pricked by it" The nurse explained as she leaves Annie to look over Reiner. Suddenly, *DOORS OPEN* an unexpected visitor appears. A brunette haired man with crystal blue eyes comes in the inn. Annie, upon exchanging glances with the man, makes a grim face towards him. "A…..Annie…My…daughter!" The man cried as he approached Annie slowly.

However, as the man was about to hug her, Annie slaps the man's arm away. The man becomes shocked. "I was never any daughter to you….." Annie exclaimed. The man couldn't do anything but to cry out in front of Annie but "At least….we can talk outside…?" The man asked. Annie reluctantly agrees.

As the 2 of them go outside, Annie's father starts making apologizes. "Annie…I was wrong…It's too late to ask your forgiveness…..But…..There's one thing…I want to ask of you" Annie's face turns from grim to worried and touched. "You can make the whole world your enemy…..Even if the whole world hates you, your dad is the one person who is on your side!" His dad added. Annie started to cry out some tears, her dad wipes it. "So….promise me…..That you will return….." Her dad hug her tightly which causes Annie to burst out in tears. "I….I promise…Dad" Annie cried with a smile.

Behind them was Bertholdt peeking from behind the tree. He can see Annie reconciling with her father. He smiles as the father and daughter duo enter the clinic again with joy. However as Bertholdt is about to get home again, Berick appears. "Since Shawn has been killed in the last encounter, I am officially taking charge of the mission on destroying the walls and humanity with it." Berick said with confidence which Irritates Bertholdt. "Is that so Berick? Or should I say….Marcel?" Bertholdt exclaimed with a sinister grin. Berick makes a sinister look but eventually the 2 of them make a agreeing look.

"Ok now I'll discuss the plans on destroying the walls" Marcel **(Berick)** announced. "Shawn's family demanded justice so I negotiated with them…..They want us to destroy the 50-meter Wall that surrounds a lot of humanity…*Points to District Trost*…my connections tell me of an upcoming expedition so I guess this district will be vulnerable to our attack…..additionally…..the 4 of us are to join the Recon Corps. One of us has to get inside the inner walls while the others catch up with the activities of the Garrison and Scouting Legion." Marcel instructed seriously in front of Bertholdt and Annie.

"Lastly, we need to find the s-called Coordinate which might be in the position of another Titan Shifter like you so beware, also there have been report of an ultra-intelligent titan being called the "Beast Titan" If you are to encounter it, I suggest you try to catch it so we can study it here. That's all" Marcel ends the discussion just as Reiner enters the tent. "Did I miss something?" Reiner asked which makes Bertholdt giggle.

On the attic of Clark's house the 4 of them slept. Annie is peacefully sleeping while Reiner put up with Bertholdt tucking himself on Reiner's blanket. Marcel who is at the corner is still awake and is looking up wondering about something. However as the night deepens, the 4 of them fall into a deep sleep.

A lingering silence falls upon the village that night as a mystical fog covers the town. The fog hides a mysterious being lurking beneath the woods, hidden from the keen eyes of the town's night guards, waiting at the right moment to strike.

It's near dawn and the fog has been lifted. Most of the townspeople are still asleep when suddenly….*GRAAAGGGGGHHHH!* A blood curdling scream breaks the peaceful silence that enveloped the town. Annie and the others wake up confused. "It's still dark! Could this be a Titan's doing?!" Marcel exclaimed as he orders Annie, Reiner and Bertholdt to pack their things up.

Bertholdt's father Clark provides the 4 of them some provisions and rations to use along the way and gives his son, Bertholdt, a last hug and goodbye.

However as soon as the 4 of them leave the house…chaos welcomes them outside. They stumble upon townspeople scrambling around being chased by an unknown creature in the dark. However, one of the running villagers set a torch on their house causing to get ablaze, revealing the true color of the monster in the dark.

It has large claws, a small body and a peculiarly large head. Its eyes are pure pitch black and its jaws, full of serrated teeth, its saliva dripping like it has never eaten humans before. Reiner and the others watch as the villagers helplessly try to find a safe place as the titan scrambles to snatch and eat every one of them.

On the worst situations, the titan is now after Annie's father who is hiding inside a house. The titan struggles to reach him as it cannot fit into the window. "No! Father!" Annie cried as she runs towards the house where he is hiding. However, Marcel grips her and makes a disagreeing look as Annie helplessly watch the titan struggle to snatch her father.

However, another problem arises. Reiner instead, runs towards the house in time to save Annie's father from being caught. This causes the titan's attention to lock on Reiner. Bertholdt is worried by this. As Reiner runs away from the titan, an explosion unexpectedly knocks him away but causes the creature to scramble away too.

Marcel and the others help Reiner out. As the fire and chaos subsides, the townspeople mourn over the remains of the once happy villagers of the town. They gather the bodies to set them alight but the skies forbid them. A tranquil rain envelopes the area as Annie hugs her dad tightly. Clark comforts Bertholdt throughout the loss. However something strange is upon Reiner who keeps nodding on the bodies.

"This feeling….It's familiar" Reiner whispered to himself.

A roaring thunder sets the skies alight as a terrifying memory inserts itself on Reiner's mind. "The mountain of bodies…Annie…..Bertholdt…..No….No!…..Ma….Marcel…..Marcel…MARCEL!" Reiner screamed as he covers his ears and he kneels to the ground. Marcel who is beside him gets curious of what Reiner is feeling. He tries to talk to him.

"Reiner…." Marcel whispered to Reiner's ear.

However, something unexpected happens. *WHACK!* the creature came back seemingly still wanting to devour the remaining townspeople. Its swipes Clark away heavily wounding him. Bertholdt tries to run to his father but he ends up covering Annie and taking the blow from the Titan whacking himself and Annie away. However Marcel had enough momentum to pull Reiner away and hurl him on a distance. However this ends up badly as the titan, instead of going for Marcel, goes for Reiner who is struggling to walk away from the mud.

Fortunately, before the titan could grab Reiner, Marcel is able to slide to Reiner's position causing the titan to miss. Marcel gets a hold of Reiner and pulls him as they run. However, the two of them are very tired to run away. Reiner collapses on the ground exhausted and Marcel discovers that Reiner's leg is still under medication from the poison.

Marcel can see Reiner's tears fall down as their imminent death slowly approaches them. Feeling sympathy for Reiner, Marcel comforts him and says "BEST FRIENDS…..FOREVER". Marcel stands up to face the titan but instead is caught by it. However, Reiner gets a hold of Marcel's hand and whispers "BEST FRIENDS…FOREVER" as their palms part away. The titan quickly devours Marcel much to Reiner's horror. Blood splashing as the titan nibbles on Marcel's chunky flesh. The titan quickly escapes the scene as it lefts a trail of blood and a piece of Marcel's clothing. "…GAAAAAGGHHHHHH!" Reiner screams on the rain as he mourns for the loss of his friend.

As the rain subsides and the sun rises, Bertholdt and Annie wake up in the clinic with Reiner sleeping beside them. Bertholdt has his left arm broken while Annie only acquired a minor head injury. Bertholdt is visited by the nurse and sadly…announces to him that….his father, Clark…has died of blood loss.

Bertholdt is at the loss of words. He doesn't know what to do but instead, he cries on his bed as he cannot move yet to even see his father.

Later that day…

Bertholdt, assisted by Annie, attends to his Father's burial. He throws a piece of beautiful lilacs to signal his farewell. Annie approaches him and hugs him tightly while he cries out loud. Another person throws a bouquet of beautiful lilacs. Bertholdt and Annie look to the side and they see Reiner, already cured. Sadness can be seen in his eyes.

Reiner still hasn't moved on with Marcel's death. Annie and Bertholdt hug Reiner tightly as the 3 of them share the sorrow.

However, a sinister looking lady approaches the 3 of them. "Are you Shawn's trainees?" The lady asked politely. "Uhm…Yes" Bertholdt answered. "Look, Shawn is my father, my mother died of heart attack because you killed him. Now my whole family wants you dead, I suggest you leave straight in the morning before my uncle gets his feet on your town…Here!*Hands Out Something*" The lady hands out an envelope to Bertholdt. "If your mission is successful then my uncle might consider your heads" The lady quickly left as she turns back on the three with a worried face.

That night….

Reiner sat down sobbing on the corner of the attic. Beside him were his packed things. Annie and Bertholdt lay down the floor with their pillows as Annie turns to sleep peacefully. However, Bertholdt cannot sleep looking at Reiner crying silently, his tears wetting the wooden floor.

The floor creaks as Bertholdt carefully stands up and approaches Reiner. Bertholdt slowly wraps Reiner with his blanket and sits beside him. As Reiner feels the warmth, he eventually falls into a peaceful sleep. Bertholdt lets Reiner's head rest on his shoulder as he also begins his good night sleep.

*ROOSTER CALL! KOK KOROKOK!"

The cool dawn strikes a beating sense into the 3 youngsters as they quickly set their things up before the sun rises. Annie says goodbye to her father with a weep as they venture forth farther into the forest hoping that they would get into the wall faster.

**EOCS (END OF CHAPTER SCENE) TIME! XD XD XD**

As the 3 youngsters set foot on the plains outside the forest, Bertholdt begins to get tired. "Annie can you hold my hand for me? I think I'm breaking down" Bertholdt said with an exhausted voice as he gasps for air. Annie reaches out to his palm much to his gladness but….."You're not fooling anyone!" Annie said with a cold voice.

Bertholdt is left crying hilariously in front of a confused Reiner as Annie ventures forth.

Minutes Later….

Annie can still hear Bertholdt and Reiner's footsteps. She begins to wonder why Bertholdt hasn't got tired as she was tired too. However she was too lazy to turn around. "Hey! Bertholdt! Have you found someone to hold your hand for you?" Annie asked jokingly. Suddenly, Reiner and Bertholdt pass by her. Annie is shocked as he spots Reiner hand-to-hand with Bertholdt, her face turning grim.

"Hey! I should be the one being held!" Annie said as she scrambles to chase the 2 and they were really having fun. However, a pair of large sinister eyes watches them from the distance. The creature creates a sinister smile as the scene zooms up to reveal that Annie, Reiner and Bertholdt are actually not far away from the walls.


	4. Restoration of Mankind

Chapter 4: Restoration of Mankind

Bertholdt locates the hole that he made on District Shiganshina on the day he became the colossal titan. They venture in the small village within the walls. As they walk, they look around the demolished houses, dried bloodstains, some rotting flesh and bones.

Fortunately, Reiner takes them to the gate he destroyed as the armored titan, without the presence of any enemy titans. On the way to the river, their eyes widen. Annie despises the scene and turns around. Bertholdt follows Annie but Reiner can't help but to inspect the scene.

Burnt bodies, dismembered organs, dried blood stains and the rotting corpses of soldiers are messily scattered all around. Reiner is intrigued by the body of a little boy. He carries it and puts it beside 2 other bodies. Together, he stands before a dead family. His tears started to run through the cheek.

His sight begins to backfire as he sees illusions of him as a little boy. Together with 2 persons, a lady and a man, he happily walks with them hand-to-hand. Reiner begins to kneel down and hit his head. Until a cracking sound echoes on the air, Bertholdt and Annie notices that Reiner is missing.

They get back to the scene only to find Reiner disposing of some of the bodies and dropping them into the river. "Hey! Reiner, we better get there fast, don't forget we're in Titan Territory now" Bertholdt said. Reiner silently follows them with a grim face.

Suddenly, Reiner stops walking which makes Annie and Bertholdt anxious. "There are Recon Corps nearby" Reiner whispered. Bertholdt pulls Annie and Reiner into a nearby bush. Just as expected 2 soldiers with their unusual machines walk past the 3.

"Save Me! Help!" A voice screamed. Bertholdt and Reiner look around only to notice Annie missing. Reiner is shocked to see Annie scrambling around from a distance, attracting the attention of the 2 soldiers and 10 meter titan. Annie runs away which causes the 2 soldiers to use their maneuver gears. They chase Annie only to get swiped the 10 meter titan ahead. One is eaten but the other one manages to kill the titan.

However, as he lands on the ground, he is stabbed by Annie using his own sword. Reiner and Bertholdt are unnerved by the freaky scene. The blade burying deeper into the man's chest until his body stops moving. Annie starts de-attaching the machines around the man's waist. He gives the machine to Bertholdt and orders Reiner to retrieve the other from the half-bitten body of the other man.

Reiner feels something odd as he de-attaches the bloody machine of the corpse. He stares gravely at the flowing blood on his arms. However, he is interrupted by Bertholdt. Incidentally, while Annie is about to hold on to Bertholdt's back, Bertholdt snaps the trigger causing hooks to shoot out from the machine. Before they knew it, Bertholdt is helplessly dangling from a tree.

"I think I'll go with Reiner for a while" Annie said as she rides behind Reiner. The 3 of them swing their way through the vast wasteland as they encounter and escape countless numbers of Titans both large and small.

After hours of conquest and slaying monstrosities, The 3 of them finally reach their destination, the inner wall, Rose.

The 3 of them successfully climbs the wall but disposes of the machine quickly as they reach the peak of the large wall. Reiner, Annie and Bertholdt looking over the horizon as they see a fruitful civilization inside. However, Reiner spots some people coming their way which makes him anxious and he pushes Bertholdt causing him to fall but he is then pulled by Reiner as Annie continuously scream for help.

The people coming their way and quickly run to their location. The males quickly rush to aid Reiner who in turn adds weight to Bertholdt to make it look like a critical rescue. Seconds later, Bertholdt is pulled up and everyone is showered in sweat, even Reiner. "You were pretty heavy there boy!" An elder male said as they take the 3 kids down.

The people takes them to a elder lady of the town who has just finished cleaning the backyard of a certain house. Upon seeing the children, the elder lady smiles like she has seen the children long ago. "This lady here, has cleaned few of her houses and property just to be given to stray kids like you, you should be thankful to her" a man said as Reiner, Bertholdt and Annie share turns in going around the house. Annie comes to create a short bond with the lady as they talk for a while.

"Hello, What's your name?" The elder lady said as she approached Annie with a glad smile. Annie dismisses her but can't help to give a little attention as the lady sits beside her. "A-Annie, Annie Leonhardt" Annie replied in a blunt voice. "Such a beautiful name for a beautiful girl like you, I bet your parents had a serious reason for leaving the 3 of you behind" The elder lady said in a gentle voice. "Heh! You can say that!" Annie said as she smiles back to the elder lady.

"Here, this is the key to my old house. You kids can use it anytime, Just take care of it often" The elder woman said as she leaves with the group of people leaving Annie, Reiner and Bertholdt. Inside the house was not very dusty like what they expected. All the rooms are cleaned and organized. No signs of dirt and it looks like the house has been set just for their arrival. "Wow! This is much better than the streets" Bertholdt exclaimed. "It is….but nothing like home right?" Annie said. "Yeah! Nothing like home!" Reiner added.

As the three of them set up their things upon the house, a squadron of men march outside. Reiner, Annie and Bertholdt hurriedly ran outside to see what the commotion was all about. "The 34th expedition will commence!" A man on the front shouted. All the soldiers in their horses all raise their swords and prepare as the gates of the wall open for them. "You see them Bert? The 3 of us will be like them in no time" Reiner grinned at Annie and Bertholdt. "Like….what's got into you Reiner?" Bertholdt asked in a confused way. "Isn't that what Marcel wanted us to do the first thing we get here?" Reiner replied back. "That's enough you two! The only problem here now is…..how are we going to make a living?" Annie rudely slided between the two.

"Uhm….I guess this village is much like our hometown though so it should be easy" Bertholdt replied. "Yeah Berth, you could always bake the freshest bread in town" Reiner teased him. "Hey! Don't bring that up!" Bertholdt pinched Reiner causing the 2 to start a friendly rumble. "Yeah, Like you almost burned the first muffins that you baked" Annie cut in. Bertholdt succumbs into a weird silence as the 2 laugh around him like nightmares revolving around his head. Bertholdt completely goes paralyzed and doesn't talk for the rest of the day.

Annie decided to go out the market and buy food. Reiner, left with Bertholdt, tries to talk him out. "Hey! Are you still mad about a while ago" Reiner smirked. "I didn't burn it…it….it burnt itself!" Bertholdt mumbled in defense. After a while, there was no answer. "Heh! Cat got your tongue eh Reiner?!" Bertholdt smirked. However, there was still no answer. How Bertholdt's mind felt embarrassed when he finds out that Reiner is asleep and that he was talking to thin air all along. "Hey! Bert! That's…..that's not FAIR!" Reiner over reacted.

Meanwhile….. 

In the marketplace, Annie was about to buy food when suddenly *OOMPH!*, A girl bumps on her. Annie is not much of a feisty girl so she dismisses it. "I'm…sorry" The girl slowly said. Annie still dismisses it and keeps on looking at the apples. "I'll buy 5 please!" A boy bumped in. The boy annoyed Annie quite a little bit that she made an annoyed face. The girl sees it and proceeds to approach the boy. Then suddenly *CLINCH!* The girl pinches the boy on the ear. "Ow! Hey Mikasa! What the hell are you doing?!" The boy struggled. "You can't just go bumping girls all over the market…this is like the 40th girl you've bumped since we got off to buy food" Mikasa explained slowly. Annie kept looking at them with an awkward face. "What in the world are they doing? Do they know each other?" Annie kept on her mind.

At the end of it. Mikasa apologizes for her brother Eren and gives Annie an extra apple. "No Apple for you Eren" Mikasa exclaimed slowly. The 2 of them wandered off with Eren going buffoon about the apple while Annie stare at them in awkwardness.

Annie reaches home and is about to open the door. A crowd of people quickly build up with a group of soldiers maintaining orderliness. The 2 weird children from the market a while ago seems to be in line. Annie seemed interested to check it out but as she was about to go, Reiner and Bertholdt barge out of the house. "Hey! Annie can we come?!" Bertholdt and Reiner exclaimed. Annie sighs deeply and makes an agreeing look.

While in the line Annie becomes seperated with Reiner and Bertholdt because of the crowd. While on the other side of the line, Annie spots the boy he met on the marketplace a while ago quarreling with a member of the Recon Corps. The recon corps was about to punch the boy causing Annie to get hesitant as she wants to help them.

The girl pulls the boy back together with another boy who has a blonde hair. Annie leaves the line with Reiner and Bertholdt not noticing her disappearance. She hides on the street side as she sees the boy quarreling with the girl. Annie's eyes widen as the girl punches the boy to the ground and forces the bread into his mouth. "If you don't eat, you'll starve to death" these are the words that Annie heard while spying. However, "Oy! Annie, we got ourselves some rations! Can we go home now?" Reiner said while panting after running. Annie acts as if she didn't see or hear anything as she walks with Reiner and Bertholdt home.

That night after dinner, Annie wanted to be alone so Reiner took Bertholdt downstairs to sleep in the sofa and floor. Annie thought of her dad as she sat along the window looking at the sky. She holds her hands to the air as a cold breeze blew. Suddenly, Reiner and Bertholdt appear beside her and they smile. Annie goes in and turns off the light as the 3 of them sleep on the large bed.

Early next morning...

"Hey! Neighbor! Wake up!" An eecentric young man shouts out in front of the house. Reiner wakes up first and opens the window. He looks down only to see a young boy waving Hi to him. The boy looked happy, his eyes glistening in the sun and his freckles describing his face.

"Be there in a minute!" Reiner replied back. As Reiner opens the door, another boy faces him. The boy seemed bored and silent as he glared still at Reiner. The eccentric boy barged from behind the other boy and gladly handed over a pot to Reiner. "Eh? What is this for?" Reiner asked scratching the back of his head. "It's my family's thanksgiving gift since you are our new neighbors!" The young boy gladly replied.

"The name's Reiner!" Reiner said as he handed out a handshake to both boys. "I'm Marco and this is my friend Jean!" The young boy cheerfully said. "Come on Jean! We still have 10 more pots to give!" Marco exclaimed as he pulled Jean away and made him hold a heavy basket. Reiner took the pot in and murmured to himself "Is it always like this inside these walls?"

Annie and Bertholdt follow downstairs and they see Reiner preparing the table. "What's with the pumped attitude today R einer?" Annie said as she yawns. "Yeah! You never really acted like this before right?" Bertholdt smiled. Reiner could only sigh as he smiles back and they eat their breakfast. Breakfast was some kind of war. Annie and Bertholdt are going tug-of-war over a piece of chicken leg when Reiner suddenly lunges at them and bites the chicken leg off and then bursts into a laugh. Annie lunges at Reiner and proceeds to hit him with the spoon while Bertholdt proceed to pull Annie away. The 3 of them laugh it out until they finish eating.

Suddenly, someone knocks on the door. Annie opens it and a man dressed on military uniform confronts them. "What is it sir?!" Bertholdt asked. "We are here for the early registration of people who want to get in the Recon Corps" The man announced. "This is our chance!" Reiner murmured to Annie and Bertholdt. "We want in!" Annie gladly replied as the 3 of sign in their registration papers.

After the man leaves, Annie sits on the sofa and sighs. "This is it! For the next 3 years, we'll be trained to become Humanity's guardians!" Reiner gladly shouted. "Reiner, don't forget our other priorities!" Bertholdt cut in. "Yeah , yeah! I know, find the coordinate, catch the beast Titan and destroy the wall that surrounds the District Trost" Reiner said he rolls his eyes over. "How about you Annie?" Bertholdt asked as he turns around only to see Annie asleep. "She's still ASLEEP!" Reiner and Bertholdt said hysterically.

"Oy! Annie, are you sure you want to enter the Military Police?!" Bertholdt sain in concern. "It's none of your business, I want it, I do it" Annie said grumpily as she despises the worried Bertholdt. "Let her be Bert! She can take care of herself anyways!" Reiner grinned. "Don't worry, I'll make it" Annie glared at Reiner. "Oi! Oi! Stop fighting you two!" Bertholdt cut in.

"Hmmph!" Annie exclaimed grumpily as Reiner goes out. Bertholdt looks at his friends with worry and approaches Annie. "Annie, you know Reiner's just worried about you, right?" Bertholdt said with a serious face. "But I wanna prove myself!" Annie sobbed which made Bertholdt guilty. "Hey! Now now! Annie, today's not the time to cry!" Bertholdt exclaimed as Annie, from sobbing, continues to cry on the sofa freaking Bertholdt out.

Out in the streets, Reiner takes a stroll. 3 children, about 1 year younger than him, passes by him. Their smiles and laughs takes Reiner to some of his memories back on his hometown. Suddenly, a weird boy bumps into him. Reiner doesn't really care but when he kid talked, Reiner was shocked to find out he was actually a girl. She is wearing a hood which covers almost all of her head and she seemed to worried. "Who are you?" Reiner gently asked. The girl said nothing but bit her lips and clutched whatever she was holding.

Suddenly, from the street behind the girl appeared a band of armed men holding bayonets and guns. The hooded girl quickly went around Reiner and hid behind his back. The group of men quickly came to ask Reiner. "Have you seen a little girl come around here?" The biggest man asked intimidatingly. Reiner confidently answers *no* which makes the man suspicious. "Who's that girl behind you?" The man asked. Reiner doesn't know what to say back causing the man to suddenly grab the girl by the arm.

The girl screeched which surprised Reiner. Reiner quickly swipes the man away which knocks the other men behind him. "Hey! Don't touch my sister! She's still under medication!" Reiner screamed which attracted bypassers to what is happening there. The men, embarrassed, only made furious faces before marching back to search for the girl they were talking about.

"It's ok now!" Reiner gladly said. However, before he could say another thing, the girl already ran away which left Reiner confused. As Reiner turned around to continue walking, Jean and Marco stops him on his stroll. "Oi! Reiner! Would you mind coming for dinner?" Marco annoyingly asked. "Ugh?" Reiner made a confused look. "Pfftt... Stop it Marco, the guy must be pretty busy considering he has 3 siblings to take care off all by himself!" Jean cut in with a wide glare. "Then why don't we go eat dinner with them tonight?" Marco happily asked. "Would that be ok to you Reiner?" Jean closely interrogated him. "...Of course" Reiner couldn't refuse the offer since they don't have a job on the meantime. "Then we'll be around 8:00 PM, see ya!" Marco screamed as he and Jean run back home.

Reiner sighs and smiles as he looks at the sky. "He's right, I have to take care of my siblings" Reiner said to himself as he proceeds to walk back home.

At the house...

Reiner comes in the house only to witness Annie knife to knife with another juvenile seemingly older than them. A juvenile girl and another boy is on the corner holding Bertholdt down. Reiner's nerves come down seeing the scene as memories of Marcel's death crash back to him.

**FLASHBACK**

Annie stopped sobbing a few minutes which relieved Bertholdt when suddenly. sounds and bumps are hear upstairs. Bertholdt hears this and quickly goes up to check it out. As Bertholdt walks up, he catches a glimpse of a young blonde boy searching through their things. "Hey! Who are you?!" Bertholdt screamed. The boy, seemingly surprised, points a knife against Bertholdt. Bertholdt makes a grim face as he proceeds to headbutt the boy. However, the boy elbows him down but Bertholdt pulls him towards himself causing both of them to fall downstairs.

As the loud fight ensues, Annie quickly snatches a knife and goes to check Bertholdt out. However she is intercepted by a girl also with a knife. Annie quickly subdues the girl by kicking her hand and elbow locking her head. Annie stands up pointing the knife on the girl only to witness Bertholdt held at knife point by the other boy.

Bertholdt, wounded manages to prick the other boy's leg with a thin pencil causing the boy to lose grip on him but the other girl headbutts Annie causing Annie to lose grip of her and drop the knife. The girl punches Bertholdt down and subdues him. Annie walks backward to get her knife only to confront another boy holding a knife.

"You stay out of this!" The boy said to the other juveniles as he challenges Annie to a knife fight. The boy slashes forward but misses giving Annie a chance to punch him on the back. As Annie is about to stab him, he kicks her away. As both of them stand up, they charge at each other and the boy has his knife pointed on Annie's neck and Annie has her knife intact with the boy's kneck.

Suddenly, the door opens revealing Reiner who is shocked by the scene...

**END OF FLASHBACK**

"Oi! Annie! What's happening?!" Reiner asked with a shocked voice. The man uses the interruption as a chance to push Annie away and grab what seem to be his siblings but Bertholdt gets a hold of him and knocks him toward the ground. Reiner snaps out of his shock and proceeds to subdue the boy. Annie elbow-locks the other girl and Bertholdt punches the other boy to unconsciousness.

"Who are you?! Why are you here?! What do you want?!" Reiner furiously said as he continues to tighten his grip on the boy's arms. "OK! OK! Enough!" The boy screamed out of pain. "We're thieves, homeless children! You understand right?!" The boy yelled as he proceeds to cry. Reiner, struck by pity, loosens his grip and orders Annie to let go of the girl and help the other boy. "Seriously?!" Annie exclaimed. "We'll forgive them for today, but the next time they threaten you two, I wouldn't hesitate to slit their throats..." Reiner said as he lets go of the boy and proceeds to stand up.

"You're gonna get it now! The two of you!" The elder boy said to his 2 siblings. Reiner watch the 3 of them quarreling over the thievery that happened. "We were hungry! And you're too busy to notice!" The younger girl said. "Look, I'm sorry If I'm not too much of a caregiver to both of you, But I promise, Once we receive our income, I'll take you both to inner walls to eat" The elder boy said with a smile.

Reiner watches with jealousy and pity as the 3 siblings leave by. "Oi! Reiner! What's gotten into you?" Annie asked. "You should worry him first right?" Reiner replied pointing to Bertholdt bruised to the ground. "I'll clean the living room, you get him to bed now" Reiner gently said which made Annie notice something wrong. However, Annie is too busy to know about it and so she assists Bertholdt upstairs.

A few minutes later...

*Phew!* Reiner has just finished mopping the floor and anything. He looks at the clock. "Hmmmm...It's nearly 8:00...Hey wai-" Before Reiner could finish thinking a loud slam of the door is heard. "Good Evening?! Marco gladly greeted with Jean holding the pots for dinner. "Sheesh! Marco, why the rude attitude?" Jean murmured. "Wow, this house of yours is pretty neat...Eh why are you looking like a janitor?" Marco said which distresses both Reiner and Jean. "Oi! Annie?! can Bertholdt eat with us tonight?!" Reiner called. "He'll live!" Annie philisophically replied which irritates Reiner. Annie comes down assisting a bandaged but STILL ALIVE Bertholdt. "Huh?! What happened?!" Marco worriedly asked. "He-" Reiner replied but, "He fell down the stairs." Annie cut in. Reiner can't do anything but to breathe deep.

Reiner cleans up the table as Annie proceeds to assist Bert on the table. Jean and Marco seated on the other side of the dining table. Jean and Marco put their pots on the table revealing, cooked fish, chicken soup and Sweetened Boiled Potatoes. Reiner puts a pot of rice on the table and everyone proceeds to eat.

"Hey! Let's get to know about each other more!" Marco suggested which makes Jean spit as he was drinking water. "Hi! I'm Marco Bott! I live on District Trost here in Wall Rose!" Marco cheerfully said. "Yeah! We already know Marco!" Jean opposed. "By the Way! He's my grumpy neighbor Jean Kirchstein" Marco murmured. "Oi! I'm not grumpy!" Jean opposed again. "I'm Reiner and these are my siblings, Bertholdt and Annie" Reiner gladly introduced. "Who wants to wash the dishes?!" Marco suddenly shouted with joy. "Not me" Jean opposed. Bertholdt and Annie join Marco in doing the dishes while Reiner attends to Jean on the couch.

"So, How do you manage those two?" Jean asked with a smirk. "I guess the 3 of us get along well" Reiner replied. "So that's it? I mean no special tactics?!" Jean rampaged as he looked Reiner close on the face. "Why? I thought special tactics were only used to raise soldiers and not siblings?" Reiner smirked. "Hey! How about that weird guy over there?! *Points to Marco* How is he related to you?" Reiner asked. Jean made a tiny glare before answering. "He's my eccentric neighbor back from childhood, I don't remember how I got tangled with him though" Jean sighed as he answered.

"It's already 10:30, It's late in the evening. We should be heading home now right? Jean?" Marco smiled. Jean takes the pots away from Marco with hesitant eyes. The 2 leave the house as Reiner, Annie and Bertholdt bid them farewell. "I'll go assist Bertholdt up" Annie said as she proceeds to help Bertholdt stand up and they go upstairs. Reiner slowly closes the door as he catches a glimpse of Marco and Jean walking away to the moonlight. The light inside the house goes off as the cool wind blows a peaceful gust throughout the walled city.


End file.
